We’re a few episodes into “Pretty Little Liars” season 7 at the moment, but we are still not getting much of an indication one way or another as to if we’re in the final season. Most signs point to it being, but Freeform hasn’t confirmed anything. We also haven’t seen any actors book some other TV gigs just yet, which are typically a sign that we’re getting ready to drop the curtain, so to speak.

So what we want to do in this particular edition of our Lifespan article series is weight out some of the advantages and disadvantages to the show continuing to have some sort of life, mostly because we do think both of them exist.

The case for season 8 – After all, aren’t there always new mysteries in this world? Even if we resolve what is going on with A.D. + the murder of Charlotte, you could always jump forward another six months or so. This is the network’s biggest show, and from their vantage point, we feel like there would always be interest in continuing provided that there are new stories to tell and the ratings are still decent. Plus, this show can be used as a launching pad for so many other things on the network. The case for the show ending this season – It is really as simple as the fact that everyone may be ready to move on. For the main female leads, they’ve given the majority of their work time every year to this show for more than half a decade. It’s understandable that they’d like to try new things at this point in their careers. Also, the ratings aren’t what they used to be, so if you do want to see the show go out on top, now may be the time to consider pulling the plug.